"There's no evidence saying the hockey mask [makes a difference], but I know the traditional masks are better," the Miami catcher said. "I'm going to stick with the same mask. It was just a matter of hitting that spot."

Saltalamacchia was dazed after absorbing a foul tip off the bat of Atlanta's Justin Upton on May 31. He was placed on the seven-day concussion list on June 1, before being transferred to the 15-day DL on Monday.

The 29-year-old appeared in two rehab-assignment games with Class A Jupiter and was reinstated on Thursday, when he was behind the plate for Andrew Heaney's MLB debut.

"They wanted to see me symptom-free," Saltalamacchia said. "I think that was just to make sure everything's good. Once I was OK, I was able to go to the field and do some biking and little activities."

The concussion was Saltalamacchia's first. The Marlins will monitor how much he is used his first few days back.

"He's fine," manager Mike Redmond said. "He caught nine innings in the Minor Leagues. Will we keep an eye on him? Of course. Maybe catch him a couple and give him a day off. We'll see how it goes."